Blood Sucking Leeches

Leeches belong to the phylum Annelida and are placed within the subclass Hirudinea. they'll be freshwater, marine or terrestrial animals. Like earthworms they bear clitellum and are hermaphrodites however few are hematophagous. the ecu medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis and a few connected species are used for clinical bloodletting since long term ago.
There are few species additionally who don't go after human blood however they go after some invertebrates. Haemophagic leeches attach to their hosts till they're totally fed and then they fall off to the bottom. The body of leech is created from thirty four segments. The anterior finish of body is surrounded by a oral sucker that includes concerning six segments. The oral sucker is employed for attaching to the host's body and for feeding followed by releasing an anesthetic that prevents the host from feeling the leech. They use a mix of mucus and suction to stay attach to host's body and secrete an anticlotting enzyme referred to as hirudin within the blood of the host.

Leeches are hermaphrodites. Reciprocal fertilization happens in them and sperm transfer takes place throughout copulation. throughout the act of replica, the leech taking part in the a part of male can develop a sperm sac at the bottom of the tail and therefore the leech acting as feminine can bite it off. They additionally use their clitellum like earthworms so as to carry their eggs and forming cocoons. throughout replica they use spermatophore that stores sperm. throughout the act of copulation one leech can shoot its spermatophore into the clitellar region of the opposing leech where the sperm can build their manner towards the feminine reproductive organs. The digestive system starts from the jaws situated on the ventral surface of body at the anterior finish. The jaws are hooked up to the pharynx that joins oesophagus extending to crop and then gizzard. The gizzard then joins the intestinum that finally terminates into the posterior sucker. Crop is truly the extension of abdomen that acts like storage chamber. Leeches will store blood 5 times quite its actual body size and since they manufacture an anticoagulant the blood remains there in liquid state. The medicinal leeches will keep alive for concerning 2 years with blood stored in their crop.

Predatory leeches bear a retractile proboscis in their mouth. These species are ambush predators that lie in watch for the prey and then use their proboscis in an exceedingly spear-like fashion. Earlier it absolutely was believed that they carry gut bacteria for ending the breakdown of blood within the gut however studies have clearly demonstrated that their gut secretes exopeptidases. Not all species suck blood of animals however ninetieth of the leeches are known to go after the dead and decaying bodies of amphibians, reptiles and waterfowl.

The use of leeches in drugs started concerning a pair of,500 years ago. The saliva of leech contains a protein referred to as hirudin that acts as an anticoagulant. it's additionally created by recombinant technology within the gift state of affairs. Injections of recombinant hirudin are given to those people who are allergic or aren't able to tolerate heparin.